A Heart Covered in Soft Brass
by Faberge Egg
Summary: Gioacchino Agatha was a businesswoman, in the wrong kind of business. She gambled, traded, was a dealer with drugs, and conned. And she is sick of it. Disgusted, bored, upset, and most of all... Bored. Bored of her job, bored of the island, bored of everything she was. So she's leaving everything, quickly.
1. Prologue-Joker

_Prologue- Joker_

"Agatha, sweetheart! Bab-eh! I got a good deal tonight." A grubby man said, a cigarette in between his bejeweled fingers and a thick scent of expensive cologne on his person.

His partner whom he was speaking to was shuffling a deck of cards. Fifty-two cards, four Kings, Queens, Jacks, numbers, Aces, and two Jokers.

"On the contrary, dear colleague. It's 2:34 am, which means it's morning-not night." Agatha replied, riffle shuffling the cards continuously. Though her tone seemed bitter, she was actually smiling. There was barely a time when a smile was not on her face.

"Still dark outside, ain't it?" He exclaimed, leaning back on his chair. Agatha looked up from the cards and then looked outside through a window behind the man.

"Quite."

Handing two cards, one faced up and the other down, the game began.

Agatha checked her two cards. The card both players could see was a Jack, and the bottom was a nine. These were unpredictable circumstances, as the number was close to twenty one, but another card could mean a Bust.

With a sigh, Agatha said her move.

"Stay."

"Hit." The man said. Agatha, as the dealer, handed him another card faced down; but she knew that it was a King. Her partner knew that she was skilled with cards, and could win any game as long as she was the dealer, but in this game was a friendly one. No ties or bargains for once.

It was peculiar.

"Anyways, about that deal. Seems that Bennette's been having a bit of luck with his now not-so-small town business." The man said, then took another blow with his cigarette.

"Is that so?" Agatha replied, turning over her cards. Nineteen. The player across from her had twenty-one.

"Blackjack, sister." He said, then took the playing cards. Afterwards, his thick and stubbed fingers distributed the next hand.

"Anyways, he offered to create a bridge between our two... 'Industries'." He continued.

"Hmm." Agatha said, peeking at the bottom card.

"Stay."

"Stay."

Flipping the cards over, Agatha sees an eighteen that opposes her twenty-one. Her win.

"You know, I'm thinking of leaving the island." The man looked up.

"What, you mean like a business trip?" He asked, then collected the cards as it seemed the game was over. Agatha, though the corners of her mouth still upright, had a serious air around her. An air that didn't show unless she was extremely sober.

"I mean a leaving-and-never-come-back trip, Guzman Augustus." Agatha replied, revealing the man's name.

Augustus let out a loud laugh.

"Marines know your face _and_ reputation, sweetheart. Gioacchino Agatha is a well known drug lord and they have no attention of letting you just go scott-free. It's only because of your 'noble' status that you're not in prison yet. That, and the fact Marines like to chase pirates on the seas, rather than criminals on land." Augustus said, tucking the cards into a box.

"Ah yes, pirates. Doesn't 'pirate' scream _Freedom_ more than 'drug dealer'?" Agatha inquired.

"Yes, but you can't just walk away from this, sweetie."

Agatha fished a small silver box in her pocket, then plucked a mint out. Popping the small mint into her mouth, the woman rose from her relaxed position and put her elbows on the table, her head resting in her hands..

"Now here I thought you would be happy about this, dear. You know what would happen if I were to disappear. _You_ would obtain my assets, my company-"

"Your enemies. I kept secrets and made fake names so I wouldn't get caught. You basically laugh at the faces of the Marines and other companies that would accept your proposal." Augustus interrupted, making Agatha's smile lessen.

Agatha disliked being interrupted.

"Not true. I can keep secrets, I can keep many secrets. Anyways I'm going with my plan. It's already in action." She replied, making Augustus groan.

"Fine. What's your first move?" He then asked, unsure if he would regret it or not.

"Why, I first have to die."

**Author's Note:**

Agatha and Guzman Augustus are playing the card game Black Jack. Usually it would be Poker, but this is a friendly game so we don't get into Poker yet.

The prologue title is Joker, meaning the colored Joker-not the black and white one. The riffle shuffle is this:

_ : / / w w w . you tube watch ? v = u h8 iM ZY 4N b4_

For an explanation of Black Jack (with definitions for words like _Bust_):

_ : / / w w w . instructables id / Learn-to-play-two-people-blackjack /_

Honestly, I'm still not sure if I understood it well.

Now the title: a common type of metal in which bullets are made out of is jacketed lead; metal surrounded by either a soft brass or a copper-plated soft steel jacket.

There is a reference to Agatha's name, like for most of Mister Oda's characters (Killer's name was made out of pure laziness and it is unsure that Luffy's name has a sailing reference or not).

Agatha came from **Saint Agatha of Sicily**, who was martyred after refusing to marry the Roman Consul. I also favor the name 'Agatha' a lot, and I just didn't want to look for another one. Shame that it hasn't been the most common name recently.

Both the last and first names of Guzman Augustus were derived names of two of the richest drug lords in the world. I know the story doesn't seem to be in the One Piece world, but I assure you, it is.

Sorry, that this is a very long note, it won't be in future chapters, so here I say:

Adiós!

_P.S: If you want to see drawings or sketches of each chapter, check out this tumblr:_

_ : / / heartcoveredinsoftbrass . tumblr _


	2. Chapter One-Ace of Hearts

_Chapter One- Ace of Hearts_

Locking the door of her company building, Agatha adjusted her regency blazer and looked into the streets. Streetlights emitted a yellow glow and the Marine bulletin board showed all the wanted posters of all the seas.

The Grand Line had pirates with bounties over fifty million belli, not to mention the infamous commander of the second division, Portgas D. Ace. Their faces seemed to glare at Agatha, however she ignored them and started walking.

Hollow leather footsteps filled the silent atmosphere, until a click was heard. A click of a gun.

The woman didn't bother looking behind her, and her brisk stroll broke into a run.

Agatha looked to her left-an abandoned warehouse. Her direction changed towards the stockroom and her hand was at the knob when a loud bang struck.

"_Why, I first have to die."_

Agatha's body fell immediately, blood immediately gushing from her back. The shadow of the assassin was upon her.

There was a baby cry and a few loud shouts, but there was no Marine base on Parenaj island. The assassin took a small transponder snail out of jacket and whispered,

"Sir, Gioacchino is dead."

"Excellent. I see your position, drag the body into the warehouse and burn the building. No one must know it was us, and they won't be able to-without a body to inspect." A low and cracked voice responded, then paused to take a satisfied sigh.

"Yes sir." The man dragged Agatha's body inside the building, making sure that the blood would not leave a trail on the ground, then looking around to see if anyone was inside. When it seemed that he was the only soul in the area, he dumped the body swiftly against the metallic walls, and planted a bomb right next to her.

_Augustus looked at his partner, shocked._

"_Die? So you're going to 'leave' the island by committing suicide? I wouldn't have expected this from you." He said, staring hard into Agatha's eyes._

"_Relax, old man. I told you-I have a plan." The woman replied._

Turning it on, the assassin saw that he had seven minutes to escape the construction and have a distance of a good three feet away from it.

The man closed the door quietly to not alert any passerby, and casually walked away.

"_And that would be...?" Agatha's partner asked, hoping that she would immediately continue his sentence. It was sometimes hard to understand what his associate meant, and this was one of those times._

"_Guess."_

"_Gotta give me a hint first, sweetheart."_

_Agatha dropped another mint into her mouth._

"_Did you know, that there were some ludicrous rumors that some pirate in East Blue gave a different person to be executed and is still alive himself? My plan is revolving around that concept." Agatha said, her finger making small circles in the air._

_It took a few moments for Guzman Augustus to find out where she was going, and when he did his face showed a large and toothy smile._

"_Who's the unlucky sucker that's a part of your ploy?"_

The warehouse was cold, silent, and empty. There were six minutes and thirty-five left until the bomb would detonate, and Agatha's body would be turned to ashes.

Or not.

_Agatha wagged her finger at Augustus._

"_Ah ah ah, I said it only **revolved** around the concept. It's not the same." She said, pulling a smug face._

"_Damn it, sugar pop, just tell me! Stop looking all smug and just cut to the chase!" Augustus said, nearly loosing his mind. Honestly, he felt that though his partner was smart, she was also quite conceited. Too conceited, actually._

The dead body now seemed not so dead, as an eye peaked open, the iris looking around for any stranger. When the coast was clear, Agatha stood up and brushed the dust off her pants and sleeves. Checking the bomb time, there was now 4 seconds left until the end of the sixth minute.

She looked around, then spotted a back entrance at her right.

Knowing the she would have to be clear of the building by the time the bomb explodes, Agatha decided that a speedy flee would be quite appropriate in this situation.

"_I've already turned down Bennette's offer." She said._

"_Really? How was he like?"_

"_... Temperamental. I have never seen anyone go from desperate to downcast then to furious in less than four minutes. He even went as far as ordering his guards to force me out of the building."_

_Agatha's sentence made Augustus choke on his cigar, continuously pounding his chest to breath._

"_Out of the building?! You went all the way to the other side of the island to just say 'no'?! Why-why didn't you just get a transponder snail and tell him over the phone?!"Augustus exclaimed._

"_I'm not sure if Bennette himself would send an assassin, maybe because I located his base and declined his offer, but someone did. He's been stalking me lately, memorizing my activities, sneaking in my mansion, and etc."_

_It took a few moments for Augustus to realize the tense position he was in and took a deep breath, relaxing his back._

"_Sweetheart, you still didn't say a lick about the actual plan." He said, taking another deep breath of the cigarette, then blowing a long stream of smoke through his mouth._

"_Bullet-proof vests are hard to come by, aren't they?" Agatha said, the phrase seeming random and completely avoiding the subject._

"_And most assassins use only guns to kill victims, don't they?"_

_It suddenly clicked for Agatha's associate, who took a large laugh._

"_That's the plan? Fake your death by just using a bullet proof vest? That's not the most original plan I've seen you make."_

"_But, it's practical. So practical, it won't be given a single thought." Agatha said._

_Her associate raised a thick eyebrow, definitely showing that he did not agree with her._

"_All you need to do is get me a change of clothes and meet me at that old warehouse we used to hold our liquor."_

"_Warehouse 96?" Augustus questioned._

"_That's the one."_

Closing the door behind her, Agatha looked around, her eyes then catching a large figure in the shadows.

"There you are. Nice to know that you honor last requests." She said, watching Augustus and his trail of smoke disappear into the air.

"Anything for friends, darling." Agatha paused at hearing the word 'friend', though she didn't try to correct him. He could believe whatever he want, it didn't matter. She would never see him again, at least, not in the near future.

Augustus sniffed and scrunched his large nose.

"You never told me you were going to be using fake blood." He said.

"Fake blood? Sure, if you think it's fake, go on." The woman replied, surprising her past partner.

"Anyways, here is the change of clothes, and a gun." He said, handing the subjects into Agatha's hands.

"Thank you, Augustus, may you have a successful business." She said, starting to leave.

"Wait, take this." Augustus handed something onto Agatha's hand, his large fingers covering the object. When he revealed it, the woman's eyes went wide.

"You really want me to keep this?" She questioned, and was answered with a nod. Agatha smiled a thin smile and continued.

"You always knew how to make things depressing. Anyways, a bomb is about to explode, so you better clear out now."

Augustus nodded again, and before he started walking he asked,

"Will you still be going under 'Gioacchino', Miss Agatha?"

"Please. Call me Agatha. Fabre J. Agatha."

The past partner made a wide smile showing his teeth, took another sigh of smoke, and started to leave. As did Agatha.

The distance between the two greatened, and both would have left the scene quickly enough before the minutes the bomb ticked finished, and Warehouse 96 would be blasted to smithereens. Then, the next day, the death of Gioacchino Agatha would ring in the ears of the twisted people living in Parenaj Island.

**Author's Note:**

The Fabergé eggs are ornately decorated, jeweled spheres made by **Peter Carl Fabergé** and his team of craftsmen. Though the spelling differs, it is pronounced similarly like Agatha's new last and middle names- Fabre J.

Parenaj island is an imaginary island located on the Grand Line. Parenaj is actually Haitian Creole for _'godfather'_. I chose that word because my brother was watching The Godfather on his mac, and I was out of ideas for any other word to use as the island name-so I used that one.

For people who may not remember, the pirate in East Blue Agatha was talking about was Kuro/Kurahadol. There were probably these kind of rumors for any pirate that didn't have a public execution-Since Mister Oda depicts his story in a time period where people were very superstitious (in my opinion).

Anyways, new update plan: Because I am constantly being interrupted from writing this story, A Heart Covered in Soft Brass will update SUNDAY.

Recently, my middle school life has been flooding me with projects, so I think a weekly plan would be best-especially since I don't want to be those writers that create a story, then disappears for, like, a month.

Also, for Agatha's new outfit, please vote on which one you like! There are three and link to see them is here:

: / / heartcoveredinsoftbrass . tumblr / 6

Unfortunately, I didn't have any time to color them, but please cast your vote through a review because I really don't understand how those 'Poll' functions work.

Thank you! See you next Sunday!


End file.
